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Bomar, Quinn dismissed from OU football team

By John Helsley and George Schroeder •
Published: August 3, 2006

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NORMAN - Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn were dismissed from the University of Oklahoma football team Wednesday after a school investigation determined they had been paid for hours they did not work at a Norman car dealership.

Employment records revealed the players were clocked in during football practice, according to a source.

Last winter, OU officials investigated the employment of football players at Big Red Sports and Imports while focusing on tailback Adrian Peterson’s intended purchase of - and use of - a used, late-model Lexus. In each case, no NCAA rules violations were discovered.

But in recent weeks, officials conducted further investigation of the dealership’s employment of Bomar, the Sooners’ starting quarterback, and Quinn, an offensive lineman.

“What they were doing was clocking in and out,” said former Big Red general manager Brad McRae, who said he was unaware of it at the time. “They were clocking more hours than they were working.”

An athletic department source said the issue came to a boil in the last few days. Once the NCAA rules violations were confirmed, the dismissals came within 24 hours, the source said.

OU declared Bomar and Quinn ineligible for the 2006 season. In a statement issued Wednesday by OU, Sooners’ coach Bob Stoops said the dismissals were permanent.

Neither player was named by OU officials, who cited federal privacy legislation. But multiple sources confirmed their identities. And by midafternoon, the names of each had been deleted from the team’s online roster.

The action, which was announced the day players reported for the start of fall practice, left the Sooners’ season in a state of uncertainty.

Equally uncertain is the potential for NCAA penalties, including possible forfeiture of games last season.

Stoops was unavailable for further comment. But the university source said that no other players had been implicated, or are expected to be implicated.

“We spend a considerable amount of time addressing our players regarding their personal conduct and the NCAA rules,” Stoops said in the statement. “They know exactly what we expect from them. Ultimately, they have to make right decisions. The same holds true for our boosters. When they do not, the consequences are serious, and we will not tolerate this behavior.”